Steelers' Omar Khan Was Not The Cause For Brutal 2025 Offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of mistakes in the 2025 offseason. Some have already been cut loose like Juan Thornhill and Darius Slay. There are a bunch of other players that were brought in for this all-in push that have just not panned out. Lately, the starting quarterback has seemed to be the latest topic of discussion, as Aaron Rodgers has had issues with throwing the ball with any sort of accuracy in recent weeks -- even before his wrist injury. The year started off great, but everything has fallen apart on both sides of the ball. 

Usually, that would lead to the front office getting blamed, but not this time. In his weekly Q&A chat, insider Gerry Dulac explained why Omar Khan and his assistant, Andy Weidl, are the innocent ones in a season full of problems.

"I have no problem with what Khan/Weidl do," Dulac said. "Understand, they are making moves and bringing in players that Mike Tomlin and his coordinators ask for. Never forget that."

At the end of the day, Head Coach Mike Tomlin is arguably the most powerful man in the organization. If he wants someone, the Steelers will try and bring him in. In this case, he wanted a team full of veterans to pick up his schemes and use their knowledge to make plays. Instead, he got a core that's lost a step and can't make plays with any sort of consistency, especially now that the long season is wearing down on their bodies. 

The biggest difference between Khan and Kevin Colbert is their aggressiveness. Outside of 2019, the former general manager was very conservative and limited his moves to under-the-radar acquisitions. His biggest free agent signing was arguably Steven Nelson, who was signed to a deal worth $25.5 million total. Khan is more willing to make moves, but is that because Tomlin wants them more?

Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has a hand in this as well, as Dulac mentioned. The player that he most likely wanted was tight end Jonnu Smith, since the two had been together on two other teams beforehand. So far, that has been nothing short of an absolute disappointment of an acquisition. Overall, nothing on the offense is working anymore, and every little piece is getting exposed. 

It has become very clear that the way Tomlin does things has not gone well in recent years, including in 2025. He has tried to do everything his way, and the results have been the same mediocrity that has plagued the team since the late 2010s. If he truly runs everything like many insiders say he does, he needs to be stripped of powers for his own good. He can be a great coach, but that requires him to take a few steps back.

Steelers Need To Make Tomlin Focus On What He's Good At

Where Tomlin thrives as a coach is managing the players on the team. He has no problem getting his players to buy in and get motivated, especially when things aren't going well. Maybe he could do well mentoring his coordinators, but he shouldn't decide what they can and can't do on gameday. He especially shouldn't be handing his general manager a shopping list and demanding that he gets every single one. It will be extremely interesting to see how these last five contests unfold for the Steelers, as well as how the organization goes about the 2026 offseason. 

What do you think about Tomlin's supposed power over Omar Khan and Andy Weidl? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB, as well as our other social media pages.

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